


Patience is Key

by Luthwyn



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming Out, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 17:41:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthwyn/pseuds/Luthwyn
Summary: Dan Howell has had a crush on Phil Lester for almost five years and has yet to make a move. Will a day out at the pride event be able to change that?





	Patience is Key

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you for reading :). I'm sorry if this isn't what pride is like where you live, I just went off how it is celebrated where I live. please enjoy (or not it's a free world).

Phil was daydreaming again. Dan could see him across the room, completely absorbed with the world outside of the window. He should have been mad given that he watched the boy do this every single lesson, yet he still managed to get decent grades. Seriously in like five years he had maybe written enough to fill a single A4 page, and yet he was still getting solid passes in everything. He couldn’t be mad though because unfortunately he had a near ridiculous crush on the older boy and everything he did somehow seemed to end up endearing. It had started in the first year of high school. Dan had never really believed in the idea of dating someone in school, since all that’s seemed to come out of it was unnecessary drama and a few awkward kisses. Overall it seemed completely pointless and he would rather not take part in it. That was until, of course, high school.

He’d had a crush on a few girls in the past, but this was the first time it had been a boy. He couldn’t help it though. At first he had been a sweet, chubby-cheeked ginger and Dan had adored his quirky personality and awful puns. Then at around the start of year ten he had hit a growth spurt and had become slimmer and taller. Once he dyed his hair black and began pushing it back out of his face Dan was gone. After around a year in high school he had already come to the conclusion that he was bi and that yes he would very much like to be Phil Lester’s boyfriend but now it was more than that. However, there were a few things holding him back however. The first thing was he was yet to come out and by asking a boy out on a date would definitely let everyone know. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of who he was, but he was already bullied and would prefer to keep their ammunition to a minimum. The second was that was far too nervous. The idea of being rejected terrified him and he wasn’t quite sure he could deal with seeing him around after that. Also, he tended to go ketchup red whenever he was in the general vicinity of the boy and he was pretty sure he would spontaneously combust if they ever talked, and that was the final problem.

As much as he enjoyed admiring Phil, they had never actually struck up conversation. Phil tended to keep to himself or just hung around with a few close friends. He lived quite a way from the school, so he was never hanging around town when Friday afternoon rolled around or during the holidays. If Dan wanted to make a move he had to do it in school where he also tended to avoid other people as much as possible. From what he had seem Phil was funny and kind. He stood up for people even if it threw him straight into trouble and there was that one time he had tried to sell hamsters in the corridor. He had a sneaking suspicion Phil was into boys but nothing to confirm it. Phil seemed nice enough but what if he asked the boy out and he decided to tell everyone, it would make Dan’s life hell and he didn’t want to risk it. That was what had been keeping him back for the last four years and now he was running out of time.

At this point they had technically finished high school. The half term and come and gone and now the final set of exams were all that stood between the depressed GCSE students and freedom. You were supposed to go to the subjects you still had exams for but otherwise you could either stay in school and revise or go home. Most people hadn’t bothered to come into lesson despite the fact they were supposed to so there were no more than three or four people in each classroom which was possibly the only reason Dan was there. Phil had decided to stay simply stay in school on all the days he had exams as it was easier than going home and as a result was in pretty much every one of the classes. The teachers had long since stopped caring and it was nice to have a quiet room all to yourself, and your crush.

They were sat in geography, a subject dan was very good at but found immensely boring. Phil apparently did too as nothing that Mrs Smith, a pleasant but over-enthusiastic teacher, seemed to be sticking and his eyes wandered back to the window, even a few moments after he was called out for not paying attention. Dan took a deep breath and once the teacher had sighed and slumped back to her desk, grabbed his textbook and slid in the seat next to Phil’s. The older boy gave him a strange look but turned to look in the opposite direction. There weren’t any people on the school field, only the odd jackdaw and magpie. There was also a woodland area at the very top of the field which was actually bigger than it looked and quite interesting to stare at when you had nothing better to do. They’d been allowed in there once for orienteering and there was even a pond with a car in it. Legend stated that one day many years ago student hijacked a teacher’s car and drove it into said pond, nobody knew if it was true, but it was a fun story.

“Hey, we should go into the woods after school.”

Dan blurted out, before turning a royal shade of strawberry. Phil jumped at the sudden outburst,

“Um, Dan isn’t it? You might want to keep your voice down.”

He gestured to the teacher who was glaring at them, but Dan didn't care, Phil knew his name. He did lower his voice to a whisper and decided to continue his impulsion.,

“Are you up for it or not?”

Phil hesitated for a moment before looking back through the glass,

“Why after school? We both have a free period next, don't we? Let’s just go now, I’m not sure how much longer I can take with this awkward ‘nobody in class but I’m still here’ vibe.”

Dan nodded a little more quickly than he probably should have done and when the bell rang followed Phil almost blindly. There was a couple of other year 11 hanging around in the corridor in their leaver's hoodies which were uncomfortable to wear at this time of the year, but they were going to get their money’s worth. They signed out at the front office and went the back way as to avoid getting caught. There was nothing any staff could actually do anything, but Phil didn't like to get in trouble. Despite the large green fence surrounding the rest of the school the woodland actually backed onto a series of large boggy fields that weren’t actually owned by anyone. As a result, it wasn’t fenced off. 

It was strange entering in through a different way, but Dan was thankful for the shade that the trees provided on a summer that was already proving to be too warm. He was also glad that the dark helped hide just how red his face had flushed because it was seriously clown nose at this point. Eventually, they came to the pond, which was nearly obscured by a thick layer of weed. There was a flat, rusted surface poking up out of the water that he assumed to be the fabled car,

“I’ll give you a tenner if you jump onto the roof.” he whispered to Phil, trying to find a way to make this little trip a bit less weird by acting more like a ‘lad’.

In hindsight, it really wasn't a good idea because they both had exams this afternoon and were wearing a school uniform which was difficult to maneuver in, but Phil accepted. He’d never been amazing at sports, but his long legs did give him some advantage. He took a short run up and leaped. One-foot hit metal whilst the other dipped in the water to about his shin before he had the chance of pulling it out. As he placed his other foot of the solid surface water oozed out of his shoe, earning a grimace from Phil,

“You still owe me £10, I technically made it.”

Dan giggled slightly before faking a cough to try and hide it,

“Yeah alright, I’ll give you that one. How are you going to get back though?” 

Phil’s eyes widened, and he looked around him to try and find the spot where he was closest to the bank. He didn't have the chance for a run-up and if he did a straight up jump he would land up to his knees in water,

“I haven’t thought this through,” he called, sounding slightly panicked. 

While Dan was admittedly worried about his crush, he couldn't help doubling over in laughter. Phil looked hilarious, stood in the middle of a pond on a tiny bit of dry land looking completely helpless. After a few moments, he calmed down and shouted back to Phil,

“If you try and make the bank I can catch you.”

Phil looked sceptical but nodded. Her went for the jump and Dan braced myself.

Phil made in but as his foot had travelled further than his body he began to stumble backwards. Dan shot out an arm and pulled him forward to safety. Phil was already off balance however, so he tumbled forward and ran straight into Dan. Both boys stood in shock for a moment, chests touching and faces only centimetres apart. Dan was burning up but couldn't help but notice how many colours were present in Phil’s eyes. After a couple of seconds Phil coughed and Dan took it as a hint to back away. The atmosphere turned tense but there was a little part of Dan that was rejoicing at how close they had just been. He could have said something in that moment, but he didn’t, and when they left the woods and went their separate ways Dan was feeling a lot of regret, it was ok though, he still had time.

Not enough time unfortunately and it had run out. The final exam was over and they never going to see each other again. They had become a little friendlier after hanging out for that short while but only to the point where greetings were exchanged when they ran into one another. Dan didn't even have the other boys number, and none of his friends did either. All was lost, well until Dan found out Phil was going to prom. Prom isn’t as big a thing as in America, you don’t usually make a big thing of asking someone and most people don’t even have dates. Luckily for dan, Phil had made no attempt at getting a date and should hopefully be going alone. That opened an opportunity that he was more than willing to take. 

On the night he threw on his nicest suit (in black, obviously) and styled his hair the best he could. His mum cooed over him for about half an hour before the car his friends had hired arrived and he got in. he spent the entire journey tapping his foot onto the floor and subconsciously bumping the person next to him with his knee every time he did so they were practically ready to toss him out once they arrived at the venue. There were a few girls hanging around outside in sparkly dresses and some boys attempting to chat them up in expensive suits. He looked around for Phil but couldn't see his head poking out above the crowd as he usually did. They got inside the large hall and dan made a beeline for the corner before anyone could strike up conversation. He sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs and kept an eye on the entrance to Phil.

About an hour later he was woken from his thoughts by a presence in front of him. He had drifted off and got lost in his head for a bit as he often did and had almost forgotten about the reason he was there. Phil was stood in front of him in a similar black suit and a silver balloon in his hand. He held it out to Dan,

“Here, you can have my date. You look far too miserable sat over here on your own.”

In a state of bewilderment Dan took the balloon and when he looked up again Phil was gone. He was more than a little confused but there was nothing he could do when no matter how hard he looked he could not find the tall, ebony-haired teenager. He went home that night feeling horribly disappointed and holding a now quite sad looking party decoration. He watched as it bounced along the floor, the helium slowly leaking out and felt as though his heart was being dragged along with it. Five years, five years of crushing on this stupidly pretty boy and not once had he asked him out. It was far too late now, and he would never even see him again. He was such a loser.

Two days later he decided to come out to his family. Partially because he figured being closeted was one of the reasons he’d never asked Phil out and secondly because he wanted to go to pride which was next Saturday. He was terrified he might get kicked out or disowned but luckily it turned out ok. It wasn't an amazing reception and his family took it as well as to be expected but it was a great weight off his shoulder. Besides, he had two more years of sixth form and then he was off to uni, the world was his oyster. Apparently, all of his friends were busy that weekend, but it wasn't going to stop Dan. he excitedly hopped on the bus and arrived in town at about eleven o'clock. 

It was very busy and very noisy. There were a few people walking around with rainbow flags and vendors selling them. People were gathered in groups, some wearing fancy dress or various articles of multi coloured clothing. He felt a bit awkward wandering around on his own, keeping an eye out for anyone he recognised so he could maybe latch onto their group. Now was a time when being an introvert was really not helpful. Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see a grinning Phil. His hair was styled up in a quiff that made Dan week at the knees and he had a tab bit on glitter on his cheekbones which looked far better than it should have done. Dan opened and closed his mouth as though he was impersonating a goldfish for few seconds before swallowing,

“Hi Phil, are you here for pride?”

Phil laughed and rolled his eyes,

“Duh. I don't just randomly go into town with sparkly stuff all over my face.”

“You should do, it suits you.” Dan blurted out and flushed bright red. Phil smiled,

“Thank you. How come you aren’t dressed up, you could have made an effort.”

Dan scoffed,

“I am making an effort, I’m here aren't I?”

Phil shrugged,

“Ok, I guess so. Are any of you friends here? I was going to come with some friends, but they ditched me at the last minute.”

Dan shook his head,

“No, I’m here alone too, we should hang out.”

Phil grinned and nodded,

“I would very much like that.”

They spent the rest of the day walking around the town centre, visiting the various stalls and shops that had been erected for the day’s events. There were some singers and dancers on a stage that had been put up in the park and there were already quite a few people who were pissed. Dan had to pretend not to be jealous whenever Phil got hit on but luckily it seemed to make the slightly older boy uncomfortable more than anything else. By the time evening rolled around, Dan was starting to get nervous. If Phil was at pride then there was a good chance he was into boys and, now that he was out, there should be nothing holding him back, and yet he was still nervous. He had a feeling Phil sent the same way, he’d started to blush whenever they got close and Dan swore he saw him checking him out when he thought he wasn't looking. He only needed to build up the courage to ask.

Eventually, they were heading back to the bus stop where they would both be parting their separate ways. Dan was about to open his mouth when Phil handed him his Phone,

“I was wondering if I could have your number?”

He said shyly, turning almost as pink as Dan, “I’d like if we could hang out like this again sometime.”

Dan grinned and nodded happily and typed his details into Phil’s phone giddily,

“I’d love to hang out with you again. I’ve really had fun today.”

They stood smiling at each other for a few moments before Phil's bus pulled into the stop. He looked at it almost reluctantly,

“I’ll see you again some time yeah?” He said and began to walk away. He hesitated for a moment before tuning to give Dan a goodbye peck on the cheek. Before Dan could react h was running to catch the bus, waving behind him. Dan waved back and felt as though the blood vessels in his face my burst from the amount of pressure building in them. He stood and waited for his own bus with an absolutely ridiculous grin, feeling a lot happier he had in a long time and prayed to every god he knew that he hadn’t typed his number in wrong.


End file.
